Northwoods Green Bay Rockers

Kendal Ewell's Walk-Off Homer Leads to Sub-Divisional Round Sweep over Mallards

Published on August 15, 2023 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Green Bay Rockers News Release


Ashwaubenon, Wis. - In game two of the Great Lakes West sub-divisional round of the Northwoods League Playoffs, the Green Bay Rockers defeated the Madison Mallards 5-4 in walk-off fashion, punching their ticket to the Great Lakes Championship Game which is set for Wednesday in either Traverse City or Kalamazoo.

Led by two homers from Kendal Ewell (Illinois-Chicago) the Rockers earned a walk-off victory to punch their ticket to the Great Lakes Championship Game, with the two home runs earning the walk-off victory over Madison in front of an electric crowd at Capital Credit Union Park.

Maddox Long (Harding University) started the night off strong with a scoreless top of the first, and he continued the early domination heading into the top of the second, retiring them in order 1-2-3 to take the contest into the third with the score remaining at 0-0.

The Rockers scored the first run of the ballgame in the bottom of the third on an RBI double from Cooper Kelly (Kansas), handing Green Bay the 1-0 advantage through three innings of play at Capital Credit Union Park.

Madison however quickly responded in the fourth with a three-run homer off the bat of Keenan Taylor (Purdue), making it a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth with the Rockers looking to respond once again in the middle innings.

Long came back with two more strikeouts in a scoreless fifth inning for the Rockers starter, but the Rockers offense could not score in the bottom half of the frame, keeping it a 3-1 lead for Madison going into the sixth in Ashwaubenon.

After each team went scoreless in the sixth inning of play, Kendal Ewell (Illinois-Chicago) delivered the second biggest hit of the game with a two-run homer to right, evening up the score at 3-3 approaching the eighth, with the Rockers now regaining the momentum heading into the homestretch of the contest.

Faulkner threw another scoreless inning in the top of the eighth, keeping the Mallards off the board once again, as Green Bay would look for the lead in the bottom of the eighth with it still evened up at 3-3.

Following a scoreless bottom of the eighth by the Green Bay offense, Madison took the lead in the ninth on an RBI single from Jackson Tucker (St. John's), giving the visitors a 4-3 lead, but a strikeout from Henry Chabot (Chapman) kept it just at a one-run deficit with the Rockers needing one to tie it up and two to walk it off.

After a two-out single from Sam Polk (Washington University-St Louis), Ewell stepped up to the plate with a runner on first, and on the first pitch of the at-bat, Ewell delivered a game winning two-run walk off homer to send Green Bay home with a 5-4 victory and a spot in the Great Lakes Championship Game Wednesday in either Traverse City or Kalamazoo.

The Rockers now await their opponent in the Great Lakes Championship Game which will be played on the road Wednesday regardless of the opponent. Fans are encouraged to stay tuned to social media for further updates.

Visit www.greenbayrockers.com or call the ticket office at 920-497-7225 to reserve your seats today. The Rockers front office and Team Apparel Fan Shop at Capital Credit Union Park are located at 2231 Holmgren Way in Ashwaubenon. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Northwoods League Stories from August 15, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central